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Dubai: du broke new ground in its bid to set itself apart from competitor etisalat yesterday, unveiling a service for subscribers to remotely monitor their homes and offices via mobile phones.
du's HomeCam video camera will allow subscribers to view live video feeds of their properties, in colour and with audio.
The service will become available at retail stores later this year and can be accessed with 3G-enabled handsets in any part of the UAE covered by du's 3G network.
"This is quite innovative and adds a bit of personal touch to the service they provide," said Wa'el Zaida, a telecom analyst at EFG Hermes in Cairo.
Innovate or die
Zaida described an "innovate or die" scenario in which du needs to offer interesting services to differentiate itself from incumbent etisalat.
"With this new service du is trying to position itself as innovative leader - they have to find a corner for themselves to stand up and shine otherwise it will become extremely difficult for them," he said
"The UAE market has the highest penetration in the region, if not the world. If du can't find little edges and try to emphasise them and build market share and subscribers, then they'll be thrown into a situation where they can't swing to profitability."
Waiving any registration fee, du will charge for usage by the second to pre-paid and post-paid customers. The UAE telco did not reveal the price of its HomeCam equipment and service, or when it will become available.
Osman Sultan, du CEO, said in a release, "HomeCam is a service that we are very proud of at du. This service will benefit a large segment of the society, mainly working mothers and parents in general who want to keep an eye on their children's safety and well-being when left at home."
"The state of the art HomeCam will also cater to shopkeepers in keeping a close check on their shop while they are out and for people to monitor their homes and garages while travelling on vacations."
The HomeCam video camera can zoom in and out, and also includes a night vision modes so users can monitor their homes and shops even in the dark.
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